


A Parting Gift

by IseliaDragonwill



Series: IgNoct week 2018 [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Blind Ignis, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, M/M, Mental Instability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 00:44:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13601958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IseliaDragonwill/pseuds/IseliaDragonwill
Summary: Ignis is ready to retire from politics and live out his days far away from Insomnia, but still struggles to cope with the loss of Noctis. On the eve of his departure, he has a surprise visitor with a special gift for him.Timed Quest 1 for IgNoct week





	A Parting Gift

**Author's Note:**

> Timed Quest 1: birthday surprise
> 
> I wrote and edited this very quickly after work, so sorry for any mistakes!
> 
> Comments and kudos are love.

The passage of time didn't become easier after the return of the dawn. Beyond the predictable rise and set of the sun in the sky as the world remembered its long-lost routine, the return of their star was simply a reminder of the price that had been paid, the means to this end. For Ignis, though the gentle light of day was there to warm his face, the nights were still just as cold, just as empty as those ten years when Noctis had been sealed away in the Crystal; except now there was no chance of him ever coming back. 

He supposed he had adjusted well enough. The day to day running of the government they had managed to piece together from the ones that made it through the long night kept his attention occupied during his waking hours. There were refugees to attend to, rebuilding efforts, security, all things that required Ignis’s sharp mind and strategic acumen to make the best possible decisions. It wasn't what he had wanted, but there was no one else experienced enough to take up the mantle. His friends knew his wishes–once the dust had settled, someone else would take his place. He both longed for and dreaded it.

For though he fared well enough during the days, it was the nights that led Ignis to think that maybe he hadn’t truly come to terms with everything that had happened after all. With nothing to keep his mind busy, it didn't take long for his thoughts to spiral into a place of despair, to lose his grip on reality. Lying awake with nothing but a dull ache in his heart was a blessing compared to the nightmares that often plagued him. Nightmares of a throne covered in blood, of a lover pinned not under reverent hands, but a cold blade of steel. And even the nightmares could not compare to the times that Ignis would wake alone in the middle of the night, thinking he could see Noctis sitting at the chair by the window.

But Ignis was still blind. 

The days and nights went on like that until Ignis lost track of time entirely. It was just as well, for there was nothing worth looking forward to except his eventual retirement from politics, which would be marked by readiness rather than dates. When the time finally came for a new leader to take his place, Ignis went to bed with the load on his shoulders lightened and a calm in his heart. He was already packed and ready to go, had been for quite some time. All that was left, was to leave.

That night he woke to see Noctis by the window once more, poised and regal with his chin in his hand, staring out at the night sky. Ignis wasn't sure what it was that made him go to Noctis's side. Maybe it was the thought of leaving the Citadel for good, the one place that held the most memories of him and Noctis, that gave him the strength to approach his lover one last time.

“Ignis?” Noctis turned from the window to look at him. A smile lit up his face, one of the rare and easy ones that he only dared show when he was truly happy. “I was beginning to think you were going to ignore me forever.”

Ignis chuckled under his breath. “Apologies. I'd rather not indulge in fantasy under most circumstances. People might decide I'm going mad.” 

A curious look flashed across Noctis's face. “You think I'm…?” He trailed off. 

Ignis wasn't sure how to respond to that. Despite being an obvious manifestation of his weary mind, he couldn't help but feel that he had wronged Noctis somehow. “I…”

“It's fine Iggy, don't look like that.” There was that smile again, though a bit more sad around the edges now. Ignis felt a sharp pang in his heart. 

“I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Of course you don't think I'm real.” Noctis rose from his seat and took Ignis's hand, leading him back to bed. They both sat in silence, taking each other in, searching for the pieces of what they had in life. For once, Ignis wasn't sure what to say to him.

“So. You're leaving in the morning.” Noctis finally said, stuck between a question and an acknowledgement. 

“There's nothing left for me here, Noct.” 

Noctis swallowed the lump in his throat. “Right. I just…” He paused for a moment before regaining his composure. “I have something for you. It was supposed to be a going-away present, but…”

Ignis cocked an eyebrow at him. “But?”

Warm, calloused palms cradled Ignis's cheeks. He scarcely had the time to look into Noctis's eyes before he felt a kiss on his forehead, then another on the bridge of his nose, right over the scar that cut across the bone. It was all he could do to keep himself from falling into his lover's arms when Noctis brushed his lips over each of his eyes, choking down a sob at the tingling rush of magic that had been absent for so long now. Gods, how he had missed it. His fingers threaded between Noctis's, holding his lover's hands in place as he leaned forward to capture his lips in a kiss that spoke of all the things he longed to say, had he not lost the one person he wanted, needed to hear them. 

When they finally parted, Ignis lowered his head to rest on Noctis's lap, refusing to move and shatter the illusion he so wished were real. Noctis pulled the blankets over him, stroking his ashy blonde hair until his breathing evened out with sleep. 

“Happy birthday Iggy. You've done so much for me. I only wish I could do more for you.”

 

The next morning, the sun seemed so much brighter than normal that Ignis couldn't help but feel that Noctis was still there, watching over him as he readied himself to leave. It was a small comfort to imagine that he wasn't alone as he started this new part of his life. He shuffled to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, rubbing the last remnants of sleep from his eyes as he finally opened them and looked at himself in the mirror.

Ignis gasped.

Staring back at him was his own reflection–one green eye, one grey. The scarring that had sealed his left eye shut for so long had lightened and smoothed out some, while his right had regained its old color. His vision wasn't perfect by any means and his left eye, though open, was still useless, but he could see for the first time in years. 

“Oh Noct…you know this wasn't necessary.” Out of habit, he waited a few moments for a response that he knew wasn't coming. Noctis never had been one for fanfare anyways, always managing to sneak away before someone caught wind of his kind gestures; certainly before they could draw attention to him. He hadn't changed a bit.

“I shall treasure this gift always. Wherever I may end up, I need only to open my eyes to know you're there.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Tumblr](https://iseliadragonwill.tumblr.com) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/FallenIsel)!


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